Goodwin Private Equity, Healthcare and Life Sciences teams in the UK, the US and Hong Kong are advising Bio Products Laboratory (BPL) and its shareholder, Tiancheng International Investment Limited (TII), in their agreement for BPL to be jointly acquired and combined with Kedrion by funds advised by Permira, who have entered into a partnership with Kedrion’s existing shareholders (the Marcucci family and FSI). The combination will create a global player for medicines derived from human blood plasma, which treat patients with rare and life threatening conditions. As a result of this transaction, the Permira funds, including their co-investor, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, will own a controlling stake in the combined business, which generates approximately €1.1 billion in annual revenues and employs in excess of 4,000 people worldwide. The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. 

This is the second major transaction that Goodwin has advised TII on in quick succession following the recent agreement to sell their indirect stake in Biotest AG to Grifols for €1.1 billion.

BPL, headquartered outside London, UK, operates a targeted portfolio of successful rare disease products and is one of the fastest growing players in the plasma industry. BPL in its present form was created in 2010 but dates its heritage back to the early pioneers of UK plasma-derived medicines. The company has a vertically integrated business model comprising 28 collection centres in the US, its Elstree manufacturing campus, and distributes life-saving products in the US healthcare market, the UK NHS and the rest of the world through distribution partners. Under ownership of TII (Tiancheng International Investment Limited) since 2016, BPL has undergone significant investment in capacity and internationalization through its expansion in the US market and its recent approval for sales of Albumin into China.

The Goodwin team was led by Carl Bradshaw with support from Angus Simpson, Rebecca Palfreman, David CappilloCecelia Chen (Private Equity), Hugh O’Sullivan and Nadim Islam (Finance), Dulcie Daly and Matt Birchall (Tax), Andrew Lacy, Brady Cummins (Antitrust), Gretchen Scott, Tim Worden and Lucy Sharples (Life Sciences), Simone Otenaike and Sarah Wicks (Healthcare), Andy Barton and Emilie Pfister (Employee Benefits), Christina LewisMartin Smith, Naomi Garton, Katherine Murphy (Real Estate), Curtis McCluskey and JB Schiller (Data Privacy). 

For additional details on the agreement, please read the press release.